Full Text Available

Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.

Fluidity between ethno-religious and national identifications: a study of identity and ethics in Mauritius

Mauritius, an island with a population of nearly 1.3 million, is composed essentially of different local diasporas with numerous religious backgrounds. After more than three centuries of active cohabitation, a cosmopolitan and democratic nation is emerging. One of the traits of the island is the rel...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Ragoo, Ramesh
Other Authors: Porcu, Elisabetta
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Department of Religious Studies 2023
Subjects:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1867611282162581504
access_status_str Open Access
author Ragoo, Ramesh
author2 Porcu, Elisabetta
author_browse Porcu, Elisabetta
Ragoo, Ramesh
author_facet Porcu, Elisabetta
Ragoo, Ramesh
author_sort Ragoo, Ramesh
collection Thesis
description Mauritius, an island with a population of nearly 1.3 million, is composed essentially of different local diasporas with numerous religious backgrounds. After more than three centuries of active cohabitation, a cosmopolitan and democratic nation is emerging. One of the traits of the island is the relatively peaceful co-existence of a diversity of religions and cultures, often considered a unique case of reference for the world. On the other hand, although the Mauritian constitution (1968) and public discourses by leaders of successive governments advocate for a democratic secular state, the nexus between communities (including religions as per the constitution) and political power predominates. At times, small tensions or communal conflicts do arise, which incite for research on sustainable peace. Other faiths have also emerged, cutting across traditional communities and breaking the tie with political power. Moreover, the legal requirement for legislative candidates at national elections to identify themselves with one of the four constitutional communities has become controversial. Against this background, this qualitative research, based on a social identity theory and employing an autoethnographic approach, aims to analyze the contributions of academics and religious organizations to the creation of a sustainable plural Mauritian society. A particular attention is paid to interfaith dialogue, with an emphasis on common religious values and ethics, which is gaining importance to address the 21st century social and national issues. Religion, and particularly the Council of Religions, constituted at the turn of this century, play a leading role in the transition from a multi-cultural, communally centered society to an intercultural and cosmopolitan one. To narrow down the study, two areas shall be examined: self-identification and ethics, from legacy to advocacy.
format Thesis
id oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/38108
institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language eng
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2023
publishDateRange 2023
publishDateSort 2023
publisher Department of Religious Studies
publisherStr Department of Religious Studies
record_format dspace
source_str UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/38108 Fluidity between ethno-religious and national identifications: a study of identity and ethics in Mauritius Ragoo, Ramesh Porcu, Elisabetta Study of Religions Mauritius, an island with a population of nearly 1.3 million, is composed essentially of different local diasporas with numerous religious backgrounds. After more than three centuries of active cohabitation, a cosmopolitan and democratic nation is emerging. One of the traits of the island is the relatively peaceful co-existence of a diversity of religions and cultures, often considered a unique case of reference for the world. On the other hand, although the Mauritian constitution (1968) and public discourses by leaders of successive governments advocate for a democratic secular state, the nexus between communities (including religions as per the constitution) and political power predominates. At times, small tensions or communal conflicts do arise, which incite for research on sustainable peace. Other faiths have also emerged, cutting across traditional communities and breaking the tie with political power. Moreover, the legal requirement for legislative candidates at national elections to identify themselves with one of the four constitutional communities has become controversial. Against this background, this qualitative research, based on a social identity theory and employing an autoethnographic approach, aims to analyze the contributions of academics and religious organizations to the creation of a sustainable plural Mauritian society. A particular attention is paid to interfaith dialogue, with an emphasis on common religious values and ethics, which is gaining importance to address the 21st century social and national issues. Religion, and particularly the Council of Religions, constituted at the turn of this century, play a leading role in the transition from a multi-cultural, communally centered society to an intercultural and cosmopolitan one. To narrow down the study, two areas shall be examined: self-identification and ethics, from legacy to advocacy. 2023-07-14T10:50:18Z 2023-07-14T10:50:18Z 2023 2023-07-14T10:49:33Z Master Thesis Masters Masters http://hdl.handle.net/11427/38108 eng application/pdf Department of Religious Studies Faculty of Humanities
spellingShingle Study of Religions
Ragoo, Ramesh
Fluidity between ethno-religious and national identifications: a study of identity and ethics in Mauritius
thesis_degree_str Master's
title Fluidity between ethno-religious and national identifications: a study of identity and ethics in Mauritius
title_full Fluidity between ethno-religious and national identifications: a study of identity and ethics in Mauritius
title_fullStr Fluidity between ethno-religious and national identifications: a study of identity and ethics in Mauritius
title_full_unstemmed Fluidity between ethno-religious and national identifications: a study of identity and ethics in Mauritius
title_short Fluidity between ethno-religious and national identifications: a study of identity and ethics in Mauritius
title_sort fluidity between ethno religious and national identifications a study of identity and ethics in mauritius
topic Study of Religions
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/38108
work_keys_str_mv AT ragooramesh fluiditybetweenethnoreligiousandnationalidentificationsastudyofidentityandethicsinmauritius